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well.
 Meal? Feed? Main course? I laughed at the absurdity of it all. Rurik ran a vampire
commune. They were paranormal hippies, who gave their  family  iron supplements.
Tears spilled from my eyes.  Are you sure I m organic? The juice cup rattled on the tray
from my laughter and Rurik saved it from spilling.
He frowned.  I don t understand the joke.
I wiped the tears from my cheeks.  No, you wouldn t.
 I hoped you d want to join us and be with me. The disappointment in his voice
sobered me.
 You re not what I expected. I tried to explain but how could I without telling him
everything. Our relationship was based on lies, my lies. He d been nothing but protective,
kind and loving. Who was the real monster in this bed?
I popped the pills in my mouth and washed them down with the last of the juice. It
made him smile again. I needed to tell him the truth, all of it, even if it drove him from
me, but I feared that the most. My heart couldn t bare another assault. It was held
together by threads Rurik had just sewn to mend the tear.
He returned the tray onto the chest.  Where are you going?
My foot dangled over the edge of the bed.  To shower.
He pushed me flat to the bed and slid me back up to the pillows.  So I could just
dirty you again? His smile spread wide to expose the dainty, sharp fangs. He yanked the
sheet that covered my body to the floor and crawled over me.
My heart raced as he ran his hands over my skin.  Where to begin? He brushed his
face against my left breast, over my hammering heart. His tongue made contact with my
skin.
I closed my eyes and arched my back. A sense of pressure built around me like the
air compressed itself. Then I felt him brush against my mental shield. A flood of panic
filled me. I didn t understand what he wanted and pushed at his shoulders so he d get off.
He never noticed or pretended not to. His power surrounded me, tried to lure me into
submission, and lay down my defenses. I d forgotten how strong he could be, he never
tried to touch me mentally since we first met.
I panted, not from passion but fear. I didn t want him to find out what I was. Not this
way.
The power shifted, like a weight off my chest, and I could breathe. I looked down at
Rurik who gazed up at me with curiosity.
 Why do you fight so much? It will hurt worse.
 What the hell are you doing? I don t want you poking around in my head. The
sharp words were out of my mouth before I could edit them.
 I got that impression the first time we met. I didn t cross the line then. I only
influenced you, never went deeper. Why would I now? He rubbed his cheek on my
breast.  You re always so closed up. It s like a prison in there, with stone walls and
barbed wires. You re painful to touch.
I closed my eyes so he wouldn t see the tears. Painful. I believed it, I lived in that
prison. Colby taught me to build those walls to protect me from being taken, but I m the
one who added the barb and never opened the door.
 Let me in, Connie. He whispered the words into my skin.  Trust me. I just want to
influence you so I don t add to your pain.
I took a shaky, deep breath.  I don t know how. You drugged me the last time.
I felt him smile.  I could again, if you wanted.
 No. The vial hid in my pants pocket, no longer in it velvet jewelry case in the
chest.  No more drugs.
 It was a joke. I d be affected by it as well after I ve fed. He pulled himself up my
body to meet my eyes.
 You would be? This surprised me.  Drugs affect you?
 No, just this one. I opened my mouth to continue my interrogation but he pressed
his finger to my lips and hushed me.  Slow deep breaths, trust me.
I felt the pressure again. My instincts screamed to struggle with Rurik s invasion.
 Deep breaths, he whispered.
I inhaled and trembled with the effort. A visit to the dentist would have been less
stressful. A sense of euphoric indifference filled me, just like our first date. The thought
made me giggle.
Rurik moaned at my reaction. He liked it when I acted this way, all giddy and happy.
Where did that thought come from?
I gasped when I felt the sharp stab over my left breast. It hurt for a moment but I
didn t care. He squeezed that breast and enjoyed the feel of it in his palm. My eyes
widened with that sensation, his sensation. I grinned. The link he used to influence my
perceptions worked both ways. I got little snippets of his thoughts. Such as, he thought I
tasted like champagne.
His power made me feel wonderful and free. I giggled again which only elicited
another moan from Rurik. He pressed the hard bulge in his jeans to my thigh.
I guess waiting to shower was a good idea.
* * * * *
Chapter Sixteen
The hot shower pounded all my well deserved aches away. Some pains could be
classed as good, exercise and well, sex being among them.
I toweled myself dry then wrapped it around my body, anxious to return to Rurik.
The soft fabric rubbed on the tender bite mark over my left breast. I saw it in the steamed
up mirror, peeking over the towel s edge and touched the spot, thankful for another
chance at happiness. Two little puncture holes over my heart. The symbolism wasn t lost
to me, though he hadn t said it, I suspected Rurik more than liked me. Never would I
have hoped I d be able to let Laurent s memory fade enough to allow someone else an
opportunity into the fortress of my heart. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]